Chapter 187: Breaking the Formation

Under the pincer attack of six thousand Sichuan troops, the one thousand vanguard roving bandits personally led by Old Huihui, along with the one thousand rear bandits two li away, resisted for less than a quarter of an hour before either dying or fleeing. Those who had no time to escape knelt and begged to surrender, but were mercilessly slaughtered by the Sichuan troops.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Old Huihui quickly dismounted and hid himself in a dense thicket of shrubs, ultimately managing to escape with his life by luck.

Seeing that the bandits who had charged ahead were already defeated, Qin Yiming ordered five hundred men to stay behind to search for wounded and dead government soldiers and to clean up the battlefield, while paying no attention to the several hundred bandits who had fled.

Under the current circumstances, there was no longer any need to split forces for encirclement to prevent the bandits from fleeing south. The main body of the bandits was still behind and had not yet arrived, so they could simply lead the men straight in for the kill. After a brief discussion, Qin Yiming and Gao Qixun led the remaining five thousand-plus men eastward along the official road, chasing after the rear bandit force that had turned to flee, heading straight for Fang County.

Leaving men behind to clean up the battlefield was for the purpose of searching the bandits' bodies for valuables; as for the bandits' weapons, the government troops would not even deign to glance at them.

Although the court's military pay was now being distributed very promptly, spoils taken on the battlefield belonged to individuals, and this was a considerable source of extra income.

Because the roving bandits had no fixed abode, they were accustomed to carrying their plundered gold, silver, and other valuables on their persons. Whether it was the Sichuan troops or the Liaodong troops, in the past two years of fierce battles with the bandits, they had all reaped substantial gains, and this extra income was also an important factor in maintaining morale.

The gold and silver collected from cleaning up the battlefield would, according to regulations, be distributed equally among the entire army, and very few people secretly concealed any. The Sichuan troops were basically formed from men of the same native places, and many of them were related by blood or marriage, so there was no need to invite ridicule from fellow villagers over such small gains.

At roughly the same time that the Sichuan troops in front launched their attack on the bandits, the Liaodong cavalry arrived at a point five li from the bandits' main camp.

After the Night Scouts reported back that the roving bandits were forming up to march toward Zhushan and that several thousand had not yet left the camp, Zu Kuan estimated that the Sichuan troops should soon be intercepting the bandits' forward force, and that now was the perfect time to strike. He therefore divided his two thousand-plus cavalry into four groups of over five hundred men each, plunging into the bandit ranks from the flank in continuous charges. After breaking through the formation, they headed directly south, and after catching their breath briefly, charged once more from south to west.

Under Lin Yangcheng's arrangements, Luo Rucai remained in the rear to hold the line, while he led his own men as the center force to coordinate front and back.

Before news of Old Huihui's defeat seven or eight li ahead had even reached them, Lin Yangcheng and his men had just exited the camp gate when suddenly a sound like muffled thunder came from not far to the north, and then columns of dust rose up one after another.

Lin Yangcheng, seasoned by many battles, suddenly changed color. He knew this was the sound of a large cavalry charge. At this moment, the only ones charging were government troops—the roving bandits had no large bodies of cavalry.

Lin Yangcheng felt a chill run through his entire body. Without time to think, he yanked hard on the reins to wheel his horse around, squeezed his legs tightly against the horse's flanks, and his warhorse burst out of the crowd, galloping south. Crouching low, Lin Yangcheng roared: "Enemy attack! Run south!"

Several of his trusted subordinates saw him suddenly flee south, and upon hearing his roar, immediately turned their warhorses and followed Lin Yangcheng southward.

When the bandits around Lin Yangcheng came to their senses, most instinctively chose to run back into the camp, colliding head-on with the bandits who were still exiting. The bandits crowded, shouted, and fell into complete chaos.

Before most of the bandits could even figure out what was happening, amid the thunderous pounding of hooves, a large force of government cavalry wearing black lamellar armor and domed iron helmets adorned with small red tassels suddenly appeared in the bandits' field of vision, rows of long-handled brow swords flashing with blinding cold light.

Zu Kuan's cavalry rarely used three-eyed hand cannons. Because firing a three-eyed hand cannon from a jolting horse's back was both troublesome and inaccurate, it was far more satisfying to use cold steel. His men therefore basically all used heavy weapons such as brow swords, flails, long-handled iron hammers, and iron maces—perfectly suited for dealing with bandits who wore virtually no armor.

Amid the desperate, terrified screams of the bandits, the government cavalry plunged headlong into the bandit formation that had not yet scattered. As severed limbs flew in all directions, amid a cacophony of screams and wails, the first wave of government troops burst through the southern edge of the bandit formation, leaving behind a field strewn with corpses and wounded.

After breaking through, the government cavalry wheeled around in the distance and turned toward the bandit camp to the east, reining in their horses to catch their breath.

Before the bandits could recover their wits, the second wave of government troops had already arrived, and this wave's target was the bandits who had already fled through the camp gate.

The bandits were like castles built of sand on the shore, collapsing in an instant under the wave-like continuous assaults of the government cavalry, utterly powerless to resist. Everywhere on the battlefield were bandits scrambling to flee. Only when the fourth wave of cavalry personally led by Zu Kuan charged over did they discover that there was no large group of bandits before them—the bandits had basically all scattered and fled in every direction.

The bandits on the western side of the official road, cut off from escape, saw how ferocious the government troops were and could only desperately flee westward toward Zhushan. The first wave of cavalry that had broken through, led by Zu Qianjun, charged up onto the official road from the southern fields and rode directly west to give chase.

Luo Rucai, inside the camp, sensed something was wrong the moment the first wave of government troops charged in. He immediately understood—this was an ambush laid by the government troops.

Although he had several thousand men under his command, they could not even hold against government infantry, let alone cavalry.

Luo Rucai had the same plan as Lin Yangcheng—he wheeled his horse around, burst out of the bandit ranks, and galloped straight toward Baokang. As for whoever was quick-witted enough to keep up with him, that would be their good fortune. There was simply no time to organize men to resist the government troops now; the priority was to get out of danger immediately. The men could be gathered again later—it wasn't as if this was the first or second time they had run; they had long since gained experience.

The large numbers of bandits and the supplies pulled by mules and carts all became the best obstacles blocking the government troops' pursuit. Combined with the fact that Zu Kuan's tactics were focused on killing, and the government cavalry's target after breaking through was the bandits fleeing toward Zhushan, Luo Rucai escaped with ease.

After galloping more than twenty li, Luo Rucai turned his head back and saw no sign of government troops pursuing behind him—only his several dozen trusted subordinates following. He then pulled on the reins to slow his horse.

As things stood, the government troops were clearly busy slaughtering the rear force and had no time to spare for the small groups that had escaped, so for the moment he was still safe.

Luo Rucai held his horse at a walking pace, and his trusted subordinates gradually caught up one by one.

"Chief! We've taken a huge loss this time!" One of Luo Rucai's trusted subordinates said breathlessly as he caught up, his tone dejected.

"Who knows where that cavalry came from, but they were ferocious! Our men have never suffered losses this heavy before! What are we going to do now!" Another trusted subordinate, Zoushan Hu, spoke in an equally low voice.

Luo Rucai felt utterly dejected in his heart as well. He had figured it all out along the way—whether it was Yellow Tiger or their Ge-Zuo Five Camps, they had all fallen into the government troops' trap this time.

The government troops had long since learned their true situation and had hidden in the shadows precisely to deliver a fatal blow.

How laughable that Yellow Tiger had still wanted to teach the government troops a lesson at Zhushan, and even more laughable that he himself, who prided himself on his cunning, had also believed the government troops would not be numerous and had thought to pick up some easy gains.

Thinking about it now, all of this had been within their calculations. Could someone who had defeated Gao Yingxiang at Shouzhou be an easy opponent? Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong had commanded several hundred thousand men at the time—how could the government troops have been few in number?

It seemed that the Battle of Shouzhou had ended in a disastrous defeat for Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, and the government troops had not suffered significant losses at all.

It was precisely because he had subjectively assumed that although the government troops had won, they must have been badly battered and suffered heavy losses, that he had wanted to join forces with Zhang Xianzhong to defeat Lu Xiangsheng, who was coming to suppress them. Looking at it now, he was truly a fool.

Old Huihui in the front was certainly done for, and Lin Yangcheng's fate was unknown. Of the Ge-Zuo Five Camps, only he, He Yilong, and Liu Guoneng remained.

Now he needed to hurry and rendezvous with He Yilong, and then go through Baokang to find Liu Guoneng—that was the most urgent matter. The defeated troops could only be gradually gathered when the opportunity arose. As long as they found a safe place to establish a foothold, soldiers could be had in any number. In this chaotic world, how could there be a shortage of men?

Thinking of this, Luo Rucai felt somewhat relieved. He smiled and comforted the others: "We've been had by those bastards this time! We've swallowed a bitter loss! Never mind—it's not like this is our first defeat! For now, let's find Chief He first, then go to Liu Guoneng at Baokang, and afterward head south to Jingzhou Prefecture, and find a chance to enter Sichuan! The natural defenses of Sichuan are enough to hold off the court's armies. In a few years, we'll have gathered even more men, and we'll be drinking and eating meat and wearing gold and silver just the same!"

After his stirring words, everyone's spirits rose again. Luo Rucai took the lead and headed east, with his trusted subordinates following close behind.

He Yilong, who had set up camp by the Zhushui Bridge, listened to Luo Rucai's brief account and, aside from a string of curses, could only sigh.

Luo Rucai and the others had been running for most of the day. After briefly eating some dry cakes and feeding their warhorses, the two men decided to leave for Baokang immediately—only by joining forces with Liu Guoneng could they feel safe.

Liu Guoneng had only stayed in Xiangyang for a single day. After obtaining Fang Kongzhao's consent, he brought Li Laosi back to Anping Fort. Returning with him were Fang Kongzhao's aide Li Fang, as well as four personal guards from the Governor's personal battalion. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Li Fang was disguised as a traveling merchant, while the guards were dressed as servants and attendants.

Liu Guoneng had no objection to this in his heart. He believed this was precisely a gesture born of Fang Kongzhao's trust in him. Since he had sincerely surrendered, it was only natural that the court would send an army supervisor.

Wang Erwa, Liu Shuan, and the others were overjoyed to see Liu Guoneng return safely. Although Liu Guoneng had only been gone for less than two days, Wang Erwa and the others had been on tenterhooks the entire time and had not dared to tell Liu's mother the news. They had ordered scouts to be deployed in several directions around Xiangyang Prefecture, with orders to report back immediately if they spotted government troops gathering. Then, following Liu Guoneng's instructions, they were to take Liu's mother and find a route to hide in Sichuan.

After arranging quarters for Li Fang and the others in a tent, the group gathered together. Liu Guoneng gave a brief account of what had happened over the past two days and informed Wang Erwa and the others of Li Fang's identity. He sternly warned everyone that they must treat Li Fang with respect—this man was a trusted aide beside the great Governor, representing the court here.

Wang Erwa nodded and replied: "Big Brother, rest assured. We all came out of the government army ourselves, and now it's as if we've returned to it. How would we dare show any disrespect to a distinguished gentleman like Master Li!"

Liu Shuan spoke up: "Big Brother, what should we do next? Since the court has agreed to our surrender, haven't they given us any title or status? No armor, seals, or credentials either?"

He Sanguan chimed in: "I think the court still doesn't trust us. No title given, and an army supervisor sent—in the end, they still see us as bandits!"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the tent grew heavy. None of these men were ignorant local bandits, and besides, what had just been said was what the court ought to have provided. Otherwise, how could they prove that they had now become government troops?

Liu Guoneng laughed: "I haven't finished speaking yet! How could I not know what you're saying? Lord Fang has already submitted a personal memorial to the capital, explaining our surrender to the court. Lord Fang doesn't have the authority to decide our status! But Lord Fang said he has also written to a high official who does have that authority. As long as that great lord gives his approval, our status will be settled within a few days! From the way Lord Fang spoke, I should at least get the rank of Mobile Corps Commander! Haha!"

He Sanguan said doubtfully: "The capital is several thousand li away from us. A round trip would take months—we can't count on that anytime soon! But how can Lord Fang say it will be settled in a few days? That sounds a bit off!"

Seeing the doubtful expressions on the others' faces, Liu Guoneng felt secretly pleased with himself. He leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Do you know who's leading the government troops that came to Zhushan this time?"

The others all shook their heads. Wang Erwa said impatiently: "I say, Big Brother, can you just speak plainly? First it's no, then it's yes—you're about to make me bust!"

Liu Guoneng laughed heartily: "Lord Fang told me that this time it's Grand Secretary and Commander-General of Five Provinces, Lord Lu Xiangsheng! Lord Fang said that Lord Lu has the authority to decide our status! In the future, we'll just need the Ministry of War to issue us our documents, seals, and credentials! And let me tell you—when Lord Fang said this, his face didn't look too happy. I think he seemed a bit jealous of Lord Lu! Don't let this slip out—just us brothers knowing is enough!"